


A Slippery Surface for Love

by BooksandKpop



Series: Soft Fics 9: Every SF9 Pairing (OT2) [28]
Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: First Meeting, Fluff, Ice Skating, M/M, Winter Time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-17 19:08:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16980147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BooksandKpop/pseuds/BooksandKpop
Summary: We’re going ice skating and it’s pretty obvious that you’re secretly an Olympic figure skater or something how the hell are you so graceful you’re literally twirling around on one foot on a frictionless surface and I can barely make a left turn





	A Slippery Surface for Love

**Author's Note:**

> The first of three Christmas-y themed fics for some of the more popular pairings that I haven't written for this challenge yet! I hope you enjoy ^.^

It was one of their yearly traditions. He was dragged out of his warm and comfortable room where he was perfectly content watching anime all day to venture outdoors in the freezing cold snow to do physical activity. Disgusting. His only comfort was that he wasn't the only one not enjoying these annual outings. Chani also despised being forced to leave his hermit cave for five hours of socialising by their cousins. Although, the younger students main problem with it was how overwhelmingly cute and lovey-dovey Inseong and Youngbin acted when they were out in public, especially around the Christmas time. Not that he was a bitter single or anything.

Hwiyoung really wasn't bothered by their cousin's antics, they were a cute couple after all. His main gripe was that he had to be active. The activity in question? Ice-skating, aka the most ridiculous sport in existence. Honestly, he couldn't understand how people got enjoyment out of racing around on solid water with literal blades on their feet in the freezing cold. It had nothing to do with his atrocious lack of balance and the fact he couldn't let go of the railing at risk of falling on his ass, not at all.

But despite the two younger boy's constant moaning Youngbin and Inseong were never going to give up this tradition. It was how the couple first met five years ago after all, and as much as they complained they would never deny their cousins this festive reminiscence. So that's how the four of them ended up piling into Youngbin's car and driving half an hour across town to the only ice-rink in the area. It was always very busy especially leading up to Christmas, but Hwiyoung didn't mind. It meant there were fewer people going to be focused on him and his stumbling around.

They arrived and queued up to get their skates, which was the only part of the entire night where Hwiyoung would be able to feel his fingers. He could already feel the warmth leaving his body even through the multiple layers of clothes he was wearing. It was only going to get worse once he got on the ice. Like they did every year, Inseong and Youngbin would skate off hand in hand and just enjoy one another's company, while Chani would stick with Hwiyoung as he slowly pulled himself around the ring by the wall making small talk about nothing in particular.

And for the first half an hour of their night, that's exactly how it went. But then Chani spotted a group of his uni friends, and Hwiyoung was hardly going to stop him from going over and joining them. The shorter boy was actually a half-decent skater and after checking three times that Hwiyoung was ok with it, he headed over to them. Hwiyoung, now all alone, decided that once he made it back around to the exit of the ring he would get off the ice and go get himself a hot chocolate to warm up. It was going to take a little while, but he would do it.

Or at least, he would have had he not bumped into an angel on his way. Literally, the blond boy was sent flying in Hwiyoung's direction by one of his friends and had he not been supporting himself with the railing they both would have ended up on the ice. As it was, he managed to awkwardly catch the other with his body getting squished against the wall. 

 

"ROWOON! I AM GOING TO MURDER YOU!"

 

The blond whipped back around to face Hwiyoung after yelling at his friend, who was doubled over with laughter in the middle of the rink. His eyes scanned over Hwiyoungs face, and at such a close proximity he couldn't help but notice how handsome this stranger was. There was a healthy glow to his skin that came from exercise and his cheeks were flushed a pretty pink from the cold - an angel. Hwiyoung was certain he was probably closer in resemblance to Rudolf. 

 

"I am so so sorry. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just a little winded. I'm just glad I didn't end up on the ice."

"Me too, thanks for catching me. Again, I'm really sorry."

"It's alright, it wasn't your fault."

 

They both kind of stood there awkwardly for a moment just looking at one another. Then the blond smiled and apologised again before turning and skating towards his still laughing friend yelling things he probably shouldn't with children around. Hwiyoung was left with flushed cheeks and a pounding heart for reasons other than almost falling over. He tried to focus on completing his journey to the exit of the rink, but his attention was continuously drawn to the handsome stranger skating on the ice.

It really wasn't fair in his opinion. How could someone not only look like an angel but also move so effortlessly on the slippery death trap that was an ice rink? He looked like an Olympic figure skater, doing jumps and spins on one foot on the frictionless surface and never once did he look uncomfortable. Not only that, but he had such a wide and bright smile on his face the entire time, it was mesmerising. So much so that Hwiyoung didn't realise he had passed his one way off the ice while watching the blond.

Only when Youngbin and Inseong skated up beside him was his attention returned to his own slow going around the ice, and then he internally berated himself for missing his opportunity to escape the cold and watch the handsome stranger from the safety of solid ground. 

 

"Hey Hwi! Where did Chani go? Don't tell me he abandoned you, I'll kill him!"

"No no it's alright Youngbin. Some of his classmates are here so I told him to go join them. I'm just going to do one more lap and then go get a hot chocolate and wait for you guys to finish."

 

He did his best impression of a smile, but his lips were probably tinted blue with the cold at this stage and Inseong didn't look too convinced. His cousin wanted to stay with him until he got off the ice, but Hwiyoung insisted he was fine and encouraged the couple to continue on their date. Really, he didn't want to take away from their favourite activity leading up to Christmas. But also, if they stayed with him he couldn't get away with watching the blond skater as shamelessly as he had been doing. After another minute of convincing the older pair skated off hand-in-hand again.

Not even five minutes later and Hwiyoung was on his ass on the cold, wet ice. It wasn't his fault though, that honour went to the person hovering guiltily over him. 

 

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! I - oh no. Are you alright?"

 

Hwiyoung looked up and squinted against the bright Christmas lights hanging all around them to see a worried angel staring down at him. Now, he wasn't the type that believed in love at first sight, but technically this was their second meeting and he couldn't deny there was something tugging at his heart that was more than just palpitations from falling over. He must have been mute for a while because the blond seemed to get even more nervous and started babbling nonsense. Even from his position on the ground and with the noise all around them, Hwiyoung could tell the stranger had a very soothing voice. So he was hesitant to interrupt him.

 

"Sorry, but do you think you could help me up?"

 

The stranger's eyes widened comically as he realised Hwiyoung was actually still sitting on the ice. He hurried to reach down and offer his hands to help him stand. It took a few tries with the blades on his feet and the lack of grip, but eventually Hwiyoung was standing with one of the blond's arms wrapped around his waist to stop him from falling again. Hwiyoung wasn't sure if the heat he radiated was real or just a contrast to the freezing feeling of the dampness on his jeans and hands. 

 

"Let me help you off the ice, we need to get you warmed up."

"Oh, no it's alright I can do it myself."

"No please, I insist."

 

Before Hwiyoung could argue again, the stranger had pulled him along with the arm around his waist at a speed he was entirely uncomfortable with. Despite his complete lack of balance, somehow he remained stable the entire lap around the rink and finally they made it to the exit. Hwiyoung was more than eager to stumble off the slippery surface and sat down on the nearest surface to wrestle his skates off. He hadn't forgotten about his saviour, but he was more focused on being able to walk like a functional person next to them. When eventually he had removed both lethal shoes, he let out a sigh of relief.

 

"Do you not like skating that much?"

"I can barely move an inch without fearing for my life and also the safety of anyone within a six-foot radius of me. It's freezing cold and wet and I really don't understand why people enjoy going in circles for hours on a frictionless death trap."

 

So maybe it came out a little more harsh than he had intended, but Hwiyoung really was not an ice person. The stranger scrunched up their nose but sat down to take his own skates off too. Hwiyoung sat there in his uncomfortably damp jeans and wondered what he was going to do next. When the blond was also in his socks beside him, he turned and extended his gloved hand towards him. He reached his own out and it was grabbed in a firm grip.

 

"My name is Taeyang. I'm really really sorry I ran into you twice."

"Oh, well, I'm Hwiyoung and it was only your fault once so it's fine."

"No please, let me make it up to you, I feel really bad for knocking you over."

 

His hand was still tightly enclosed in Taeyang's and even through the gloves, there was an immense heat. The blond must be a human radiator as well as an angel. His protests were cut off by Taeyang pulling him to stand with their joined hands and grabbed his skates from the ground. There was nothing else Hwiyoung could do except pick up his own set and let Taeyang drag him along to the check-in desk. They returned their skates and then Hwiyoung was pulled over to a set of couches where they sat down to put their own shoes back on. 

Once they were both finished, Taeyang pulled off his gloves and tucked them into his coat pocket which gave Hwiyoung a splendid view of the blond's beautiful hands. He took his own pair off, since they were still damp and not keeping him warm anymore, and just after he had put them away Taeyang reached over and linked their hands again. The heat was even more intense with the skin-on-skin contact and Hwiyoung felt a blush rise on his cheeks. Hopefully, he could just play it off as warming up again.

 

"Your hands are freezing! Come on, let's get you something warm to drink."

 

There was no stopping or arguing with him, and Hwiyoung refused to admit to himself that he liked the authority this stranger had with him. It wasn't an arrogant kind of authority though, rather one that felt like Taeyang was used to caring for others. He certainly wasn't complaining, not when he had a very handsome guy insisting on buying him hot chocolate and squeezing to sit beside him in a small booth. 

How long the pair of them sat together and talked Hwiyoung wasn't sure. The time just seemed to fly by as they got to know one another. Hwiyoung learned that Taeyang was two years older than him and was studying music therapy at the local university. He shared an apartment with his older friend Rowoon, the one who had pushed him into Hwiyoung the first time around, and they had a cat who visited them on Wednesdays and Sundays for food. The blond danced in his spare time and had a love for flowers that stemmed from his grandmother running a florist in his hometown where he worked every weekend as a teenager.

In return, he told the elder about his own studies; law and criminology, and how he lived in a house with his cousin, his cousin's boyfriend and his cousin's boyfriend's cousin. Taeyang made a confused face at that and Hwiyoung took the time to explain how it came about, which of course led to explaining their festive yearly tradition of going ice-skating and how Hwiyoung ended up shuffling around on his own. 

 

"If I had known you were on your own I would have invited you to skate with me."

"I don't know if you saw my skating Taeyang, but I'm hopeless. I would never have been able to keep up with you."

"Well, I would have helped you out and taught you the basic techniques. Or at the very least, I would have held on to you to make sure you didn't fall."

 

Hwiyoung couldn't write off the blush on his cheeks as still being cold anymore, and Taeyang knew it. The blond giggled a little which made Hwiyoung's heart flip in his chest. It wasn't fair that someone so handsome could also be this cute. He wanted to try come up with some sort of flirty comeback, but then Taeyang's phone started buzzing in his pocket. He made a face but answered it anyway.

 

"Hello? - Yes, I'm still here. - No, I left to get hot chocolate. - Why would I help you with that? - My skates are off, sorry dude. Text me when you're leaving the ice. - I'm not telling you that - Bye Rowoon~"

 

Taeyang finished his call with a teasing tone, obviously getting enjoyment of denying his friend with whatever he had asked. Naturally, Hwiyoung was curious, but he wasn't going to invade his new friend's privacy. However, the blond was more than happy to share his conversation with the younger, a childish playfulness in his words that made him grin even brighter.

 

"I honestly can't believe him. He has the nerve to ask me to help him impress a guy he thinks is cute after the stunt he pulled earlier."

"What stunt?"

"O-oh. Um, pushing me into you? That - well - never mind."

 

It was Taeyang's turn to be a blushing mess now and Hwiyoung revelled in it. The red on his cheeks only highlighted his warm eyes and defined facial structure, which definitely wasn't fair. But nevertheless, the younger wasn't going to miss the chance to tease him. If he had been reading everything right until now, Taeyang had most certainly been flirting with him. 

 

"Did your friend push you into me because you thought I was cute Tae?"

 

He couldn't help the nickname slipping out at the end, but it only served to make the blond blush even deeper which Hwiyoung would take as a win. Taeyang spluttered a little bit before shyly nodding. Hwiyoung's heart skipped a beat but he wasn't done being annoying yet. If Taeyang was looking to date him he would have to be able to handle what Inseong and Youngbin fondly called his "little shit" tendencies. And if the blond couldn't handle Hwiyoung, he would never be able to handle Chani, and that was an even bigger problem. Because there was no way he could date someone that wasn't able to deal with his best friend and housemate. 

 

"Sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you."

"I - yes."

"Yes what?"

 

Taeyang groaned and buried his face in his hands which made Hwiyoung giggle out loud. The elder's head shot back up and looked at him as he made that sound, his eyes shining brightly. It was silent for a moment before he wailed and made Hwiyoung's stomach roll.

 

"Why are you so cute?!"

 

The bubble of laughter escaped him before he could get a hold on it and it came out something similar to a dolphin and anime schoolgirl crossed. Taeyang just whined even louder and leaned in so his head was resting on Hwiyoung's shoulder. The younger boy didn't think he could feel much happier than in this moment. Then his own phone started ringing. As much as he didn't want to move, it was Inseong's ringtone and he would get a hard time on the way home if he didn't pick up. He answered the call before holding it to his ear which was probably a good thing because the screech his cousin let out would have shattered his eardrums.

 

"HWIYOUNGIEEEEEEEEE!!"

"Woah ok, Inseong calm down what's up?"

"HWIYOUNG! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"I'm sitting in a booth beside the confectionary stand, drinking a hot chocolate. What's wrong?"

"CHANI IS KISSING A MODEL!"

"He's - WHAT? WHERE ARE YOU?"

 

Hwiyoung jumped up from his seat in the booth and immediately began gathering his things. The coat, hat, scarf and jacket he had shed during his time talking with Taeyang were all bundled up into his arms as he began to make his way to where Inseong had told him they were. Taeyang trailed behind him in a hurry.

 

"Hey hey, Hwiyoung, what's going on?"

"Chani is making out with some random model at the lockers."

"M-model you say?"

"Yeah apparently, Inseong asked me to sneak over and get pictures because his camera is crap quality and Youngbin's phone is dead."

 

This never happened. Chani was such a reserved person, only spending time with a small group of very close friends and rejecting every suggestion for dates. For him to be hooking up with a stranger -and it had to be a stranger because they didn't know any models - was a big deal. So naturally, his cousin wanted proof. Hwiyoung was so focused on hurrying to where Inseong told him they would be that he barely noticed Taeyang's nervous energy.

Sure enough, he found Inseong and Youngbin crouched behind a fake snowman and whispering to one another. He lowered himself down beside them and assessed the situation. Chani was no longer locking lips with the handsome guy over by the lockers, but they seemed to be having a deep conversation. It was a surprise to see how widely his best friend was smiling at the much tall male in front of him - but in a very good way. Hwiyoung felt an urgent tapping on his shoulder and turned to see his own blond companion looking a little distressed.

 

"What's wrong Taeyang?"

 

At that, Inseong and Youngbin both swung their attention away from Chani and looked at Taeyang who was half crouched behind the trio. Suddenly, he regretted ever coming over. He could see the way the older couple were looking Taeyang up and down as if trying to assess who he was and why he was here. The problem was, Hwiyoung wasn't entirely sure how to introduce the blond.

 

"Hwiyoungie? Who's this?"

"Taeyang. We had hot chocolate together."

"Hi, my roommate is the one making out with your other friend."

 

And just like that, the attention was back on Chani. Only now, Hwiyoung took a closer look at the taller guy and recognised him as Rowoon - the reason he had met Taeyang in the first place. Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing after all. After a brief discussion, Inseong pulled Taeyang down to squat beside him and encouraged the blond to call his friend. Unfortunately, Hwiyoung didn't have the chance to warn him about his cousin's manipulation skills. They all held their breath as they watched Rowoon fish his phone out of his jean pocket to answer Taeyang's call.

 

"- Hey Rowoon, are you still skating? - No no I'm not trying to rush you or anything, it's just you've been out there for a while. - Yeah I am actually - n-not yet, no. - Alright well, just let me know so we can leave together. -Ok, bye."

 

He had barely pressed the end call button when Inseong was jumping on the blond to find out what he had said. Being Chani's cousin, it would have made more sense if Youngbin was the one questioning Taeyang about his friend's motives, but he was definitely the more relaxed of the pair.

 

"He told me that he was still on the ice, which even if I hadn't seen him I would have known he was lying because he is a terrible liar. But he did sound a little guilty so I wouldn't be surprised if he calls me back soon."

 

Even looking at Rowoon and Chani from their not-so-covert hiding spot, it was clear to see that the pair were having a far more serious discussion than before. Hwiyoung almost felt bad for being the inadvertent cause of this. But then it struck him, if they were to split up right now he didn't have Taeyang's number or a clear idea of what was going to happen between them. And as much as he loved his best friend and was happy he was taking an interest in someone, his own love life also needed some attention. So, he slowly moved back from the couple who were still staring at Chani and tugged on Taeyang's jumper.

When Taeyang was far enough away that Inseong wouldn't be able to grab him, Hwiyoung pulled the blond into a standing position and began sprinting away. He registered Inseong's muffled shout of surprise but he was more interested in the way Taeyang's voice raised in bright laughter as they ran. They rounded a corner of lockers and slumped against the railing, both huffing and laughing in equal measure. 

 

"What was that about?!"

"Just - I wanted to talk to you."

"Well, now we're talking."

 

Hwiyoung didn't remember them being so close a moment ago. The overhead lights were illuminating Taeyang's blond hair like a halo around his head and his eyes were twinkling like the fairy lights on the tree. Warm hands found his and the distance between them got even less. Hwiyoung was convinced he was going to have a heart attack from the way the elder was looking at him right now. His breath was stolen from his chest when Taeyang leaned even closer, so close their lips were all but touching.

 

"I don't mean to seem cheesy, but we're standing under mistletoe."

 

Whether they were or not was of no difference to Hwiyoung, he was more than happy to go along with the blond's reasoning if it meant they would finally close the last of the space between them. So he did. Taeyang tasted like chocolate - which was to be expected - but combined with the warmth of his lips and the way they fit so well together it made Hwiyoung feel like he was smothered in sweetness. His heart felt like it was going to explode any second. 

They broke apart but didn't move. Taeyang's forehead rested on the younger boys and their hands were linked together like they were meant to be. Everything in that moment just felt perfect, he never wanted it to end.

 

"Hwiyoung?"

"Yeah?"

"Would it be too hasty of me to ask you to be my boyfriend right now?"

 

He couldn't help it, the joy that exploded in his chest at those words resulted in him giggling and blushing like mad. That made Taeyang giggle too, and they stood there like that for a while. It was more than he could have ever wished for Christmas. So he nodded and they sealed the deal with another sweet kiss.

 

 

 

 


End file.
